Are We Slowly Losing the Music, Drama, Culture, and Nature That Defined Bangladesh?
For the past few years, I have been thinking deeply about different aspects of Bangladesh:our culture, music, drama, and nature and how much they have changed.
I stopped listening to Ayub Bachchu’s music after he passed away. At that time, I was living abroad. It was a quiet winter morning, and snow was falling outside. I entered my laboratory with a cup of coffee. I still remember sipping my coffee and scrolling through Facebook when, all of a sudden, I saw the news: Ayub Bachchu was no more.I was completely alone. A tremendous sadness came over me, but somehow, I could not cry. I simply sat there, trying to process the loss.
A few years later, Shafin Ahmed also passed away. I grew up listening to their music. When I was in Classes 11 and 12, I began listening to bands such as Aurthohin, Artcell, and Shironamhin. Each band had its own distinctive sound, style, and emotion. Now James is getting older, as are many of the artists we have loved for so long. Bassbaba is unwell, too. Sadly, I do not see anyone emerging who can truly fill the gap they will leave behind.
I feel the same way when I think about Bangladeshi drama. The actors who came from the stage and television during the 1980s and 1990s created work that remains unforgettable. We still watch their old performances, remember their characters, and feel a mixture of happiness and nostalgia. But when I look at today’s dramas, I struggle to find anything that can be compared with the depth, quality, and lasting appeal of those earlier works.
Even our natural surroundings are changing. The familiar birds of our childhood: the crow, the Magpie-Robin, and many others are slowly disappearing from our everyday lives. The sights, sounds, music, and stories that once defined our connection to Bangladesh seem to be fading away, one by one.
It makes me deeply afraid to think about what we are leaving behind for the next generation. What our government is doing? Have they ever thought about it?